The Superdiners give San Diego’s restaurant scene a lot of love. Here they weigh in on ways to improve it. From ingredients to fads they just wish would go away, they name the worst restaurant trends of the year.

"I love hamburgers as much as the next person, but enough already. Please put the kibosh on opening burger joints. Maybe a chicken-fried steak joint instead? You can have it your way in a potato bun with sausage gravy. That’s all American too, right? As long as we’re on the subject it’s REALLY time to pull the life support on truffle fries." — Andrew Spurgin, chef/partner Campine – A Culinary + Cocktail Conspiracy

"I am not a fan of the cake pop. Cake suffers when you smash it like a piece of Wonder Bread, poke it with a stick, and coat it with a heavy sugar icing. Visual appeal is important — they look cute all bunched together in a bouquet — but taste is more important I think." —Tina Luu, pastry chef, food lecturer at the Art Institute of California San Diego

"Worst trend? Restaurants closing. The graveyard is cluttered. It’s never fun to see good kitchen and service staff out of work and good chefs on the sidelines. Sadly, this will continue to be the worst trend." — Gerald “Dex” Poindexter, publicist, avid diner (Twitter @SuperDinerDex)

"Comfort food. Hopefully next year we’ll see more out-of-the-ordinary dining experiences, and people will be more daring and try new foods and flavors." — William Bradley, executive chef at Addison

"The continued rise in popularity of cheese and charcuterie plates, but I get it. I just think it is so boring to order something someone just slices off and serves you…" — Jeff Josenhans, director of beverage outlets and sommelier at U.S. Grant Hotel

"Molecular cooking has come and gone (that’s more like 2009 and ‘10’s worst trend, but we are a bit slow in San Diego). Yes, some chefs do it well. Yes, people had fun with liquid nitrogen, and foam had its moment of glory, but let’s keep it in my cappuccino! Ingredients? Truffle oil: Get rid of this crap, please! And pork belly, I know it’s inexpensive but wine bars should leave it to the pros..." — Fabrice Poigin, private chef, restaurant consultant

"This may not be a popular answer but food trucks! Over the last two years food trucks have exploded onto the scene, and have become a hot new trend. The mobile kitchens are everywhere; unfortunately most of them just aren’t that good, just like regular restaurants. Eventually foodies will sort them out, and the superior ones will survive." — Bill Sysak, beverage supervisor at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens

"Does every restaurant at every level need a burger? Can we make fries with truffle salt the exception rather than the rule? While I love a great burger as much as the next diner, I don’t think the aroma of burgers and fries adds to the fine-dining experience. There’s a time and a place, people!" — Catt White, farmers market manager (Twitter @LIMercato)

"Don’t get me wrong, I love a good burger, but how many burger venues does one town really need? (Please note, I truly think all of the places listed below serve GREAT burgers—no hard feelings!)

"Craft beer bandwagoners. The industry’s soaring and, like most copycat business owners in SD, that means folks with zero devotion to the craft, or nowhere near the skill needed to do it right, are getting involved. Without naming names (so tempting), restos looking to get in on an assumed sure thing are putting on mediocre beer that’s not stored, served or explained correctly. Worse yet, new breweries are open that have no business producing their substandard and, at times, downright unhealthy beers beyond the safe confines of their garages." — Brandon Hernández, food writer (Twitter @offdutyfoodie)

"This might be a bit out of left field: ‘Mixology’ is a goofy trend. Unlike the formal education of becoming a chef, and the detailed critical evaluations of restaurants, the bar lacks credentials. So does its bartenders. Until we adopt more of the aforementioned evaluative measures, we’ll never get cred. And the self-proclaimed ‘Mixologists’ – a name as silly as it is irrelevant – aren’t helping. If anything, it’s an elitist approach, and effectively marginalizes others with great potential. We should also be mindful that mixing a delicious drink isn’t the only duty of a great bartender." — Anthony Schmidt, bartender at Noble Experiment

"New burger joints are popping up EVERYWHERE. Five Guys, Smashburger, Stacked, Slater’s 50/50, The Counter... but I’m not a huge fan of any of them. Give me a cheeseburger, animal style from In-N-Out and I’m happy. I’ve tried all the spots I just mentioned and as fancy as some of their burgers were, they either lacked the flavors I normally like in a simple burger or they were just a hot mess to eat because all the ingredients slid off the patty." — Joanne Arellano, human resources professional, avid Yelper, avid diner

"In Design: How much “reclaimed” wood is out there anyway? In Food: Too many short ribs! They are like “crack on a plate” and “almost” anyone can make them." — J. Dean Loring, co-owner of Burger Lounge

"The “retro” cocktail thing is kinda lame. So “Mad Men” is a big hit, why do all cocktails that have been around a long time have to become so special all of the sudden. “Glee” is a big hit…are we going to have singing servers everywhere next year?!" — Dave Morgan, CPA, avid diner

"This trend hasn’t soared yet, but it’s on the horizon: iPad menus. I love my iPad, but ordering a meal or getting wine recommendations on an iPad while you’re actually sitting inside the restaurant smacks of gimmick. Isn’t that what waiters and sommeliers are for?" — Susan Russo, cookbook author, blogger (foodblogga.blogspot.com)

"Shelling beans. C’mon, they’re just common, regular, old, ordinary beans (phaseolus vulagaris), the same beans used to make frijoles or Navy Bean soup. Yet, all of sudden, they are “gracing” dishes from sea bass to duck confit at the toniest of eateries. What, did we run out of fava beans?" —Gary W. Schons, local prosecutor, avid diner

"At the beginning of 2011 hot dog concepts were on many lists as the replacement for burger concepts. Really? Some have already come and gone in many cities. For the true classic dog, stick with Pink’s in LA, especially for the late night snack." — Randee Stratton, real estate broker, avid diner

"Of course we get tired of seeing ingredients and techniques being overdone. But this is how we evolve. Do I want to order truffle oil sous-vide French fries from a farm-to-table, eco-friendly, pop-up food truck? Not so much. But I appreciate all of those who set the trends, and even the chefs that exasperate them. Because this forces us to create, re-visit and push boundaries." — Ricardo Heredia, executive chef at Alchemy Restaurant